730 days: Marseille

Tuesday morning I got the local train 2 1/2 hours down the coast to Marseille, another city which sits on the coast of southern France. However, a very different city to Nice. Much larger Marseille centers around the old port, and is known for being voted the city of culture in France. After dropping my stuff off at the hostel, I set out for a hike up the hill behind to the well known church - Notre Dame de la Garde. Perched right atop the summit, the church is a beacon and can be easily seen from the city. After puffing up the really steep hill to get there it was nice to just sit on its steps and enjoy the view while catching my breath! The church has an almost fortified wall surrounding it with a 360 degree view of the city, a very nice place to begin. Inside the church has ornate paintings and beautiful stained glass. On my way down I headed out to the corner of the port where two fortresses stand at the opening. Along the way managed to stumble across Marseille's oldest bakery. Next to the fortress is the chateau set in front of a lovely grassy park. Had a rest and relaxed in the park while looking back at the city though the hundreds of sail masts. Not realizing it was a public holiday, there were lots of families out enjoying the good weather too.

The following day i walked in to check out the rest of the city. The hostel was a great location, just on the vieux-port. A short walk across the way took me to the old port town set on a slight hill, with more skinny cobbled streets. I found the charity building which was built to house orphans, but is now the archaeological museum. A beautiful roman looking building with three stories of column archways in a courtyard. And in the middle of the courtyard a beautiful stone domed building. Further down the hill is the city's cathedral, a massive church sitting right next to the port and the other fortress. After some lunch I headed into the centre of the city with all its shops, and jumped on the tram up to Longchamp palace. Which was unfortunately under renovations, so was a bit of a disappointment, as I didn't get to see much. On my way back down to the city found another big church - Englasis de Reformers. A beautiful gothic style church, with bright and colourful stain glass windows. After enjoying some peace and quiet inside the church, I headed out to enjoy the sunshine before having a relaxing evening at the hostel.

On Thursday I missioned out to the the beach just outside of Marseille known as the Calanques. About an hour on the bus took me to the university where the walking track starts, then an hour of walking through some amazing sheer white cliffs, and down a steep scrambling path, I arrived at a beautiful cove. The pebbly little beaches stretched out into incredibly clear blue water. After a picnic lunch and a much needed drink, it was time for a refreshing dip in the gorgeous water. Not the warmest I'll admit, but it was just right to cool off after an energetic walk in the 27 degree heat. Relaxed in the cove for the afternoon before treking back to town and reality.

The following day my adventure continued on to Barcelona. Marseille was a bit of a surprise treat, as there were many parts to it I hadn't realised before I arrived, but the Calanques were defiantly worth the trek.